Safety blade



Fell 23, 1932. l R. E. THOMPSON 1,846,622

` SAFETY BLADE Filed Nov. 15, 1930 Snom/woz @@1143 8MM/m13 Patented Feb.23, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT'OFFICE RALPH E. THOMPSON, F BROOKLINE,MASSACHUSETTS, 'ASSIGNOR TO GILLETT'E SAFETY RAZOR COMPANY, OF BOSTON,MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF DELA- 'WARE SAFETY BLADE I Applicationfiled November 15, 1930. Serial No. 496,026.

rIhis invention relates to razors, and relates more particularly to asafety blade for razors.

Y blade. however, and variations in adjustment result An object of theinvention is to provide a razor bladeh'aving a safety edge, that is, anedge which is self protected in such manner as to prevent it fromcutting the skin, Without materially impairing its effectiveness forshaving. v

The ordinary type of safety razor, having a blade with two edges, isprovided with a rigid guard memberand a rigid cap member between whichthe razor blade is clamped. The, arrangement of the co-operatingelements of the razor is such that the blade edge is given a position,relative the guard member, which is believed to be the most satisfactoryfor shaving with the particular type Any inequalities in manufacture,

in the blade edges, at times, notbeing in their correct positionrelative the guards of the This results in the fact that while one blademay be equally as sharp as another blade, still it will not perform assatisfactorily-in a razor, due to the fact that its Width may varyslightly, due to manufacturing inequalities. Likewise, in clamping theholder together, one blade may fit the holder more satisfactorily thananother so that the shavv ing edge of one blade may perform moresatisfactorily than another, this regardless of the quality of theblades.

-According to this invention, a blade having a safety edge is providedwhich can be employed in, or as a part of, a razor of the open bladetype, which will then have the protective quality of the safety razor,although lacking aa guard considered'as a part distinct from, orseparated from, the blade itself. The blade, according to thisinvention, can also be employed in a-razor of any design in which .aguard forL the cutting edges is provided. In the latter case, the razorwill have an additional element of safety, which Ais advantageous inthecase of safety razors having blades which are adjustable to vary theexposure of the blade edge. Furthermore, a safety razor blade, accordingto this invention, can be 'used in a detachable blade razor without thenecessity fora guard member, the safety edge being sufficient in itselfto prevent danger of cutting the skin, and 7since a guard is notessential, the diiiculties of correctly positioning the edge of a blade,withl respect toy a guard member, are avoided.

According to this invention, a razor blade is sharpened, as iscustomary, and after being sharpened, portions of the cutting edges arebuilt up by deposits of metal, Bakelite, or other suitable material onthe lcutting edge, these built up portions resulting finally in a razorblade having a large number of alternate dull and sharp portions, thedull portions being the built up deposits of material with the sharpenedportions between them'.

f The invention will now be explained with l reference to the drawings,of which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a portion of a razor, blade, and y -Fig. 2is a transverse section on the line 2-2 of Fig. l.

In the drawings, the numeral 3 indicates which has been closelydeposited the large number of spots of material 5. The spots 5 may bespots of metal which have been sprayed upon the' edge' 4, may be spotsof metal which have been plated, or otherwise suitably attached, or maybe drops of Bakelite lacquer, or other suitable material which dullportions, a clean and comfortable shave `9 can be obtained from a bladeof this character, it being necessary to merely repeat the stroke of therazor a few times, as is customarily done by most persons in shaving.

Whereas one embodiment of the invention 75 a razor blade, on thesharpened edge 4 of has been described 'for the purpose of illustration,it should be understood that the invention is not limited to the exactdetails described, as many departures may be made by l those skilled inthey art without departing from the spirit of the invention.

It will be' noted that the blade 3 maybe sharpened by the usualcommercial methods used in manufacturing blades because itsA cuttingedge is initially continuous and uninterrupted. It is then convertedinto a safety blade by having the series o'f'curved spots or" drops 5deposited at regular intervals along its sharpened edge. It is, ofcourse, impracticable to resharpen the blade Without removing the spotsand so destroying its safety characteristic. The manufacturer isthusprotected against improperly or unskillfully resharpened bladesfinding their Way into the market.

What is claimed is:

l. A safety razor `blade having a continuously sharpened edge dividedinto sharpened and dull portions by spaced deposits of maferialindividually secured upon said edge.

2. A safety razor blade provided at a shaving edge with a series ofalternating sharp and dull portions of limited extent, the dull portionsbeing provided by separate deposits of material individually attached tothe shaving edge.

3. A safety razor blade having a sharpened edge divided into sharp anddull portions by deposits of lacquer which are baked on said ed e.

A safety blade for a razor, having a continuously beveled cutting edgeand a series of rounded drops individually united thereto, overlappingsaid cutting edge and providing collectively an interrupted guardtherefore as Well as a preventative for resharpening.

Signed at Boston, Massachusetts, this 14th day of November, 1930.

^RALPH E. THOMPSON.

